19th of July - 978 AD
It had been a week since the gruesome events of July the 12th, a week of wandering hungry through the forest. On the first day, Godric had been fortunate to stumble upon a small pond at a clearing. It wasn't big, but gave the siblings a sense of protection. Tall trees were standing as sentinels at the edge, guarding the meadow. After that, Godric had not dared venture too far away, in fright that he would get lost and run out of water.
Gwendolyn had slept through most of the first two days, probably too tired from everything that had happened. Godric tried not to think about it, thus occupied his days trying to find something to eat. It was a surprisingly difficult task, as his leg seemed to be broken. Godric had used the summoning charm to gather the nearby berries, but his charm was weak and had not reached far. That however, didn't stop the young wizard, and he had found himself a nice branch, and used it as a cane whenever he had to move.
I didn't take him long to discover a small spot containing a variety of mushrooms, but his mother's voice had rung in his head. "Don't eat any mushrooms or berries you don't know!" Since Godric hadn't been paying much attention when lectured, he had decided to go hungry instead. The next day he had been lucky. He had found a crow with a broken wing. That night their hunger had been quelled, but soon after they were even hungrier than before.
After five days only eating strawberries, he began to worry for his sister's health. She was crying all the time, something that made it very hard for him to fall asleep. Also, Godric always kept an eye on the lookout, even though they were alone. He had no idea who the attackers had been, or why they had come for his village, but he feared they would find them. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see his father's mangled face, or his mother's empty stare. It didn't help on his sleep deprivation. With every passing day it was getting harder and harder to find the will to stand up.
He had no idea what to do next. There was nowhere to go. He had spent his whole life in Gryffith. Come to think of it, he had never actually left the hollow. "The world is a dangerous place, son," his father used to say every time he wanted to go exploring. "One day you'll understand." Godric understood now. He had to leave the pond. It was not place to raise a baby, especially not when there were riders around. There was also the matter of food, which was scarce at the moment.
Thus, on the seventh day, Godric decided to venture out into the unknown. The sun was plastered high on a cloudless sky and the heat made Godric sweat. He used his shirt to tie a sling around his neck and placed baby Gwen inside. For once she was quiet, and Godric appreciated the new silence, as the journey was going to be hard. His arm was hurt as well as his leg, from a fall he had suffered during his escape. Even though it was healing, it was in no shape to carry an infant for an extendible amount of time. He placed his wizards hat on his head and stepped into the woods.
Leaning on his cane with his good arm, Godric stumped forward. His walking was slow, but steady. Trees cast long shadows on the bare ground and made it difficult for Godric to see the twisting roots. Occasionally he spoke to Gwen. It helped with his feeling of loneliness. "Look at that crooked tree, Gwen, it looks just like grandpa Greg's nose!" or "Oh, that was close! Almost tripped there." He had to concentrate on every step and before he knew it, the sun was on its way down. His leg was once again throbbing hard and he had no other choice but to call it a day. As careful as he could, he lowered Gwen and himself down between two tree trunks. The trees made an arch overhead that formed a natural protection against potential rain. Godric was quite proud to have found such a place.
"Ah, a good day's march I would say." Godric almost screamed in surprise. He knew that voice. He had heard it before, on the day of the attack.
"Where are you?" Godric demanded, looking around in alarm and feeling very stupid asking the air. The voice only chuckled.
"Oh my dear boy, haven't you figured it out yet?"
Godric thought about this for a minute. The voice sounded like it was right beside him, but apart from his baby sister, Godric was quite sure he was alone. Gwen couldn't possibly have learned to speak overnight?
"You are thicker than a flobberworm," the voice said, "the baby can't speak."
Godric was taken aback by the comment. It seemed like the voice knew exactly what he was thinking. He must be really powerful, Godric mused, being able to use occlumency of that extent.
"Why are you following me?"
"Don't be daft, I am not following you."
"Then why are you here?
"I could ask you the same question," the voice answered, obviously amused at Godric's ignorance. Godric thought hard, leaning his head against the tree trunk. The voice said it wasn't following him. Still, he had heard it a week ago. Was he taking it with him?
"Now we are getting somewhere!" said the voice. Godric was now absolutely sure it could read his mind.
"Are you - er - my subconsciousness?"
"Hah! Thank Herpo I'm not!"
Godric scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Then who are you?"
"So many questions - I'm your hat, you dumb piece of mucus!" the voice exclaimed. Astonished, Godric lifted his new wizards hat off his head. It looked just like any other regular hat. It was round, pointy and of a dark, charcoal color. As Godric studied it, a fold suddenly moved and displayed the shape of a mouth.
"Not what you expected, eh?" said the hat, and Godric dropped it in surprise. "Hey! That's not very nice!" This was absurd, even for Godric who had grown up with magic.
"Pick me up!" The hat raised his voice. "I'm getting muddy all over!"
Quickly, Godric reached down and picked the hat up. It had already scolded him several times, and he had no desire to give it another reason.
...oOoO...
20th of July - 978 AD
The next morning, Godric woke to the hungry cries of his baby sister. The piercing sound made his heart heavy, as he had no idea how to help her. He picked some bark of a nearby tree and ate it together with some leaves he knew was edible. However, he had nothing for the baby.
Just after sunrise, Godric was once again wandering the summer woods of Southwestern England. The birds were singing happily from nearby branches, but Godric had a difficulty hearing them over the growling of his stomach. He wanted so much to eat the birds that their song became more of an irritating tease than anything else.
"Oh relax, boy, enjoy the song," said the hat. He had gotten much more talkative since last night. Godric just huffed in annoyance.
"Come on now, don't give me those sour thoughts."
"That's easy for you to say, you're a hat, you've never been hungry," said Godric as he clumsily climbed over a curved root.
"I wouldn't be so eager to draw conclusions, if I were you."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean many things, but it's not for me to discuss with ignorant younglings as yourself."
"Ugh, why do you even speak if you're not saying anything useful?" Godric felt his anger rise. Here he was, lost in the woods, with a hungry infant on his arm, a broken leg and a talking hat! Surely he must be losing his mind? The hat couldn't possibly talk for real. From the back of his head, he heard the hat snicker.
"Oh bottle up, you - Hat," Godric said, suddenly unsure of what to call his talking hat. "What is your name anyway?"
"I'm a hat, I don't have a name," said the hat.
Godric spent the next ours contemplating if he should name his hat or not. Hypothetically, what name would he give it? Somehow, the idea of calling the hat something common like Albert or Jack, didn't sound right. The sunlight gave the woods a warm green light as Godric, Gwen and the hat wandered through, which would have been beautiful if it hadn't reminded Godric of the green lights that killed his family.
At midday they stopped by a stream to hydrate and Godric splashed some water in his face. The small river applied a warm welcome to the monotone surroundings of the thick forest and the rushing of water gave away a calming sensation. Godric sat down for a minute to relax his leg and suddenly his heart jumped. There, on the other side of the stream, a small path was visible. Finally, he had a chance to find his way out. He had no idea how far the woods stretched, but, as the hat so kindly pointed out, his best option was to follow it. Together, the strange party crossed the small river and started down the pathway.
The path looked like it had been used recently, as there were no overgrowth and they noticed several broken branches along the way. That meant there were people nearby! As long as they didn't stumble upon some riders, they would be fine. After a while, a light breeze blew through the wood, rushing the leaves. With it, it also brought a faint smell of smoke, which tickled Godric's nose.
"Do you smell that?" Godric asked the hat.
"And which nose would you suggest I use?"
"How should I know? You seem to be able to see just fine without eyes."
"Such ignorance!" the hat said aghast.
"But - "
"Be quiet now. The fire isn't far."
It wasn't easy to get a hang around the hat. Godric had no idea even how it could speak, or have a personality at all. Nevertheless, Godric was grateful for the company. He had to admit that the hat often did give good advice, despite his rudeness.
Not many minutes passed before the party reached the edge of the woods. The wind blew much harder now that they were out in the open, he heard it like a running waterfall in his ears. They were standing on a high plateau, overlooking a small valley. Godric scowled when he had to use his his injured arm to keep the wind from taking his hat. Not far below, he could see a small village from where huge spirals of dark smoke rose into the air. Stumbling forward with his cane, he hid behind a nearby tree, trying to get a good view of the situation.
Down in the village, small cabins of wood closed around a big area which seemed to be filled with people. In the center, a huge pole had been raised. People were shouting, their fists punching the air. He saw that several of them were holding torches as well. They were all looking at something Godric couldn't see, which seemed to be hidden behind one of the townhouses.
"I've never seen so many angry people at once," Godric mused out loud.
"I have," grunted the hat, "and it never ends pretty."
Godric was about to ask when the hat had seen such things, when the crowd opened up. Two grown men emerged from behind a townhouse, dragging behind them a petite girl, bound at the wrists by a thick rope. The girl was fighting fiercely against her bondage, tugging and pulling, making the two men struggle. As soon as the fighting girl reached the stake, noise from the crowd grew even louder.
"Scum!" one of the townsmen said, spitting at the girl's feet.
"Burn in hell, witch!" said another one.
Godric was shocked. Absentmindedly, he hugged Gwen a little tighter. It seemed like these people really hated witches. Never, in his whole life, had Godric encountered magic hatred such as the one before him. From what his uncle Merwyn had taught him, muggles and wizards had used to live in peace.
"The world is changing, boy," said the hat, almost sadly.
"But why, why do they hate us?" Godric asked, completely perplexed.
"Oh, they don't hate you. Their hatred is for what you stand for." The girl struggled against the ropes, which had now secured her to the stake. She was yelling profanities at the townsfolk, cursing them to be haunted by her ghost for a lifetime.
Her er hair was flying wildly around her face, and Godric saw that several villagers were getting nervous, some even mumbling to their neighbors.
"Remember, young man, not every witch or wizards are of the kind sort, like your father. These people might have a reason for their loathing."
At that moment, a tall man, apparently the chief, stepped forward with a torch and ignited the straw at the bottom. The girl started screaming at once, her agony piercing through the air. How could the hat justify something like that? No one deserved getting burned in that gruesome way, least of all the girl. Godric wanted to help her, he couldn't bare standing by the sideline without doing anything. He was about dash into the village when the hat's voice ringed in his head.
"Don't be reckless, boy. You know you can't go anywhere with that leg."
"But I have to do something!" Godric said, slightly panicked. However, when he listened closely to her screaming, it sounded almost like she was laughing. Godric recommend she must have gone mental. Her face was illuminated by the flames dancing around her. She was not a pretty girl, Godric noted. Her nose was pointy and her eyes big and watery, something that gave her an eerie resemblance to a fox. Her cheekbones were high, and her laughter made them stand out even more.
"I think she is insane," Godric pointed out, watching how the girl was apparently enjoying her execution.
"Some people say talking to oneself is a sign of insanity, but what do I know," said an unfamiliar voice. Started, Godric clutched his wand and looked around frantically. Had they found him? Were they going to burn him and his sister too?
"Woa, easy, I come in peace." He noticed a young boy standing a couple of feet away from him, his hands in the air, showing two empty palms. He smiled at Godric. It looked like he was alone. Slowly, Godric lowered his wand.
"Who are you?" Godric demanded.
"My name is Hengist," said the boy with a grin. "And who are you?"
"Godric," replied Godric, nodding reluctantly. Hengist had long, dark hair to his shoulders, and a wide smile plastered on his face. He looked younger than Godric. He guessed he was about the age of his late brother Gordon, who had been a year younger than him.
"So, what brings you here?" Hengist asked, moving closer. "Oh my,
is that your baby?"
"What? Oh no, this is Gwen, my sister." said Godric, looking down fondly at the sleeping child.
"She is cute," smiled Hengist. "But why are you out here all on your own? It's not safe, especially for a wizard with a baby. Why did you draw your wand anyway? I mean, that was a really bold move, it could really - ."
"He is right, you know," the hat said to his head.
"- have sold you out. Don't you know what they do to people like us? Where are you from anyway? Your clothes are very dirty."
"Right again," said the hat.
"You ought to get them cleaned. Are you maybe poor or something? I don't want to be rude, but riders do stop people who dress like you. They say it's more likely they have intel. I have no idea what intel they are talking about, so I usually just stay away from them, I mean -"
"Smart kid, unlike you," commented the hat.
"Oh, will you shut up?" Godric exclaimed with exasperation. He was so tired of the hat's snide comments, they made his head hurt. For a second he wondered maybe it was because the hat was actually positioned on his head.
"I'm so sorry for bothering you, your highness!" Hengist said, crossing his arms.
"No, ehh, sorry. I didn't mean you." Godric tried to explain, quickly removing his hat before it could say anything else.
"You're a weird chap." Hengist eyed him carefully, but then his eyes widened. "By Herpo's foul knickers, what happened to your leg?"
"I - uhm," Godric did not want to go into detail about his birthday feast. He looked around nervously and hugged his sister. "I fell." It was partly the truth.
"Yeah, I'm sure you did," Hengist said with a grin.
The screams down at the village were getting wild and spine-chilling. Godric reckoned if he was a muggle, he would be terrified of the thought of this girl coming back to haunt him. His stomach made a growl, almost as loud as the yells from the village.
"Listen," Godric started. "You wouldn't happen to have some food on you or anything?"
Hengist grinned again. "Nah, but I live just down the hill, there," he pointed at a spot in the opposite direction of the village. "I'm sure you'll be welcome for supper."
Godric's stomach growled again at the thought of food. "Really?" his face lit up. "I am so hungry I could eat a hippogriff."
"We have plenty of food, although I not quite sure what babies eat," Hengist said as they slowly started walking. Godric struggled to walk as fast as he could with both the cane and the baby. All he could think about was the fact that Gwen finally would have something to eat.
" - but no worries, I am sure the Sorcerer knows you are coming." Godric hadn't realized that Hengist had continued talking.
"The Sorcerer?" asked Godric, starting to get suspicious. He wished he still had the hat on his head. The hat would know whenever joining this boy was a bad idea or not. However, it didn't seem like Hengist had noticed his apprehension.
"Yeah, the Sorcerer. It's his hut, I am just the apprentice."